CUSD’s “New Media Plan”

Sustainable Content Creation, Curation, and Presentation

our marketing & communications team’s photo-shoot :) #candid

While working on the marketing team of a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable organization, we, the marketing team, were also inspired to create a sustainable solution. But this time, it was for CUSD itself.

What problem(s) does this new Media Plan solve?

Problem #1

Over the course of a semester, a CUSD team will need a wide variety of content for many different purposes. Some of this content will be created internally by the teams themselves because their own members are comfortable enough and may also know better. However, when a team does need help creating content, for instance an information package for its stake holders, this is usually when Marcomm has come in to help in the past. This lack of organization, however, has made it difficult at times to maintain an organized content workflow.

Solution #1

To overcome this lack of organization, part of this New Media Plan will suggest Marcomm to communicate & meet with each team, preferably before the start of each semester, to discuss the team’s current needs. Depending on the team’s needs (whether it’s digital content, video content, or write up content) Marcomm will cater towards those needs to the best of its abilities. This prevents overlap of work and also increases efficiency so that needs & deadlines are seamlessly met and a balanced workflow is maintained.

Problem #2

But of course, there will be content that Marcom will take a lead on. This type of content has traditionally had more to do with how a project is documented, presented & showcased to a greater public. Examples include: exhibitions at fairs, alumni digests, or end of semester showcases. In the past, Marcomm’s approach has typically been to gather & create content only when a use case arrived (e.g. an upcoming Raw Exposition). What usually ends up happening is that teams are then nagged and pestered about the work they completed weeks & months ago. This method risks inaccurate and compromised content to be produced.

Solution #2

This is the second purpose of the media plan: for Marcom to keep up to date with each team’s progress over the course of a semester so the content that is created is as detailed and concise as possible. But more importantly, it allows each team’s progress to be properly & accurately documented so that the hard work of CUSD members are remembered & documented for future uses as well.

“A Sustainable Way to Create, Gather, and Showcase Content”

Our New Media Plan has 2 goals:

To develop a clear and close working relationship between content creators on Marcom and the rest of CUSD teams.

To continue defining & advancing the brand of CUSD teams and CUSD as a whole through organized, timely content roll outs.

Create Meaningful Content

One of the long term goals behind this New Media Plan is to build consistency & direction in the approach in which CUSD content is gathered, created, and published.

Before we think about the different channels or types of content, it is important to realize that no matter what we create or publish, it is most important to consider the audience who we are creating the content for. We should never make content for the sake of making content. Rather, we should make content so people can enjoy, share, and benefit from our content.

The people we are creating content for include but are not limited to:

Our Cornell Community

CUSD as an organization has tradition and presence on campus. It’s individual groups & teams, however, vary in terms of receptiveness and engagement from the community. Depending on what the needs and aspirations of a CUSD team is for this semester, the Cornell Community could be a potential target for creating greater participation & awareness for any project and CUSD as a whole.

Possible content can result from

a) Partnerships with campus & local organizations that lead to initiatives to engage our communities. b) Finding and working with relevant & fitting orgs around us that lead to greater awareness & support for our projects.

The key is to get students excited about our work. This includes:

a) Groups & individuals that align with any CUSD team’s missionb) The general public that is interested in being a part of something new and exciting

Stakeholders & Communities We Directly Impact

Stakeholders care about:

a) How much the work is getting done. Progress.b) If their mission and work are accurately portrayed in the content we create

This includes:

a) Weekly updates b) Other additional work that proactively shows them our progress and growth inside the Cornell community.

Alums We Hope to Maintain Connections With

The CUSD Alumni network is always a growing resource for current and future projects, teams, and most importantly students. Showcasing our progress & process through transparent, diligent, and accurate content is always a plus.

CUSD’s Own Members internally (culture)

Internally, this New Media Plan hopes to shine light on CUSD members themselves so:

a) Teams and members realize the meaningful work and leadership they are undertaking.b) We can articulate each team’s purposes, mission, and goals so members can have a better idea of CUSD and a better understanding of their peer’s work. c) Create stronger bonds with each member e.g.(create groups that everyone can be in and be updated by CUSD progress)

Moving Forward,

Marcomm hopes to work very closely with each CUSD team in this upcoming, Fall semester to fully implement this New Media Plan. Stay tuned for updates :)

Tony is currently a rising Junior majoring in Fine Arts and minoring in Business at Cornell University, Ithaca NY. He recently interned in Washington D.C. over the summer as a Product Design and Marketing Intern for Agnes.io